Ceramic electronic components using a ceramic chip as the component body, such as capacitors, inductors, and registers, generally have two or more external electrodes on the exterior surface of their ceramic chip having a roughly rectangular shape. Each external electrode has one first planar part positioned on a surface that specifies the length dimension or width dimension of the ceramic chip, and at least one second planar part positioned on a surface that specifies at least the height dimension of the ceramic chip and continues to the first planar part, where a section cut along the height direction is roughly in the shape of a letter U or letter L.
Such ceramic electronic component is mounted onto a board in such a way that primarily the second planar part of each external electrode is connected electrically to a conductor pad of the board via solder or other bonding material. If the board deflects due to thermal shock, etc., in this mounted state, however, the stress from this deflection may be transmitted to the ceramic chip through the conductor pad, bonding material, and external electrode, and this stress may cause the ceramic part of the ceramic chip or any conductor part provided inside or outside the ceramic chip to crack, deform, or otherwise suffer damage that will ultimately lower the performance of the ceramic electronic component.
FIG. 1 in Patent Literature 1 mentioned below discloses a ceramic element 1 whose external terminal electrodes 5a, 5b have wrapped-around parts 15a, 15b where separated tips 15a2, 15b2 apart from the principle surfaces 11, 12 of the ceramic element 1 are provided, in order to prevent the ceramic element 1 from generating cracks caused by stress corresponding to the aforementioned stress. However, since the wrapped-around parts 15a, 15b of the external terminal electrodes 5a, 5b have basal joints 15a1, 15b1 that are joined to the principle surfaces 11, 12 of the ceramic element 1, it is difficult to suppress the transmission of stress corresponding to the aforementioned stress to the ceramic element 1 through the external terminal electrodes 5a, 5b.